Habits of the Mind

Habits of Mind – 2nd Semester Introduction The five qualities described in the readings that I am least proficient would be managing impulsivity, persisting, striving for accuracy, patience, and attentiveness. In terms of managing impulsivity (Arta Costa), I always tend to jump straight into an argument or judgment without taking all the time that is truly necessary to make sure the argument is a valid one that can be completely and factually backed up by evidence. Persisting (Arta Costa) is a quality I really need to work on aswell because I tend to write part of an essay or paper and lose my train of thought or focus and simply get stuck. This causes writing to take much longer than it should for me and I need to work on my ability to sit down and write something from start to completion. Striving for accuracy (Arta Costa) is an area that I need to work on because sometimes in timed situations or otherwise I tend to write names of characters or plot elements that I believe to be true and correct but that turn out to be slightly wrong or modified versions of the truth. I need to take the time to go back and double check my facts. The skill of patience (Carol Jago) is something I have always struggled with. I tend to judge a book and determine my like or dislike within the first hundred pages of the novel without waiting to see whether it has anything more to offer. I need to learn to hold off on judgment and wait till I am finished to measure a literary work. Lastly an area I need to work on is attentiveness (Carol Jago). I tend to begin glossing over a text when my attention has waned and I need to learn to be able to focus more and really do more active reading. The five qualities I am most proficient with would be thinking flexibly, applying past knowledge to new situations, finding humor, fearlessness and banking. Firstly, I am quite proficient at thinking flexibly (Arta Costa). Once I have an opinion it is not set in stone but I allow the views of